Erwin Kreuz
Encyclopedia
Erwin Kreuz was a German tourist to the United States who achieved international celebrity in the late 1970s for mistaking the city of Bangor, Maine
for San Francisco, California
. The incident made Kreuz a folkloric figure whose story continues to be told in various media as an iconic (if extreme) example of an airline traveler not reaching his or her intended destination.
charter flight from Germany to San Francisco in October 1977. When the plane stopped at the Bangor International Airport
to refuel and allow passengers to clear American customs before re-boarding, Kreuz mistakenly believed he had arrived in California, and took a taxi into the city. For four days, he vainly searched for the Golden Gate Bridge
and other San Francisco landmarks. The only sight which resonated with his prior image of the California city were the two local Chinese restaurants. He concluded he was in a suburb of the metropolis, and only realized his mistake when a taxi driver somehow communicated to him, in response to his request to be taken to San Francisco, that it was a 3,000 mile journey. He ended up in a German-themed restaurant in nearby Old Town, Maine
, whose German-speaking owner, Gertrude Romine, was the first to hear his story and give him a complete picture of where he was. The Romines found him a hotel room in the nearby town of Milford while trying to figure out what to do. His story was picked up by the local press, and soon went national.
to meet the governor and secretary of state. Kreuz' 50th birthday was celebrated at a gala party located, at his own request, at a McDonald's restaurant. He was allowed to flip the hamburgers. A growing circle of local 'friends' organized sight-seeing trips for him around the region, accompanied everywhere by local press. Kreuz was by all reports impressed, grateful, and charming. He also received three marriage invitations, and a couple in the northern Maine town of St. Francis
gave him an acre of land.
magazine, by the Associated Press, and on NBC's Today Show, where host Tom Brokaw
lauded the people of Bangor for being such good hosts. The magazines Stern
and Der Spiegel
told his story to the German public. The people of San Francisco were equally amused, and the San Francisco Examiner paid to fly Kreuz to their city, where he was given an even stronger dose of celebrity treatment. Mayor George Moscone
gave him the key to the city, Krauz was feted in Chinatown, and received a standing ovation when he was invited to enter the ring at the Cow Palace
(where he was presented with a white cowboy hat, having received an Indian head-dress in Maine).
Kreuz luckily had a sense of humor. He told Moscone he drank 17 beers a day, and when he finally boarded a flight back to Germany, he posed with a huge sign (provided by World Airways) that said, in English and German "please let me off in Frankfurt"
company, to officiate at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new Bangor Mall. It was the first shopping mall he'd seen. The journey cemented (and capitalized upon) Kreuz' celebrity/newsmaker status, garnering nearly as much publicity for Kreuz (and the Mall) as the incident the previous year.
Kreuz' lingering celebrity cost him his job, however. The German brewery that employed him attempted to use his news-worthiness for its own purposes, but bristled when Kreuz asked for compensation beyond his laborer's salary. In an interview with the German press, he made the spontenous but naive admission that he drank a competitor's brand of beer. His month-long absence to promote an American shopping mall (and during the Ockoberfest season) was likely the final straw, as he was fired from his job of 9 1/2 years when he returned the following month.
The Washington Post revived the Kreuz incident when Yusuf Islam (the former Cat Stevens
) was diverted to Bangor in the paranoid aftermath of 9-11, and Kreuz' story was published in Frommer's
Maine Coast Guide as late as 2009. Former NY Times reporter Blake Fleetwood recalled the Kreuz incident in a Huffington Post essay of 2007, in which he revealed that mistakes like Kreuz' were more common than most realize.
Kreuz is the subject of a ballad recorded by Maine folksinger Wendell Austin
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
for San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. The incident made Kreuz a folkloric figure whose story continues to be told in various media as an iconic (if extreme) example of an airline traveler not reaching his or her intended destination.
Original incident (1977)
A brewery worker from a village near Augsburg, Bavaria, Kreuz spoke no English and had never experienced international travel except for a day-trip to Switzerland when he boarded a World AirwaysWorld Airways
World Airways, Inc. is an American airline headquartered at the HLH Building in Peachtree City, Georgia. For the most part, the company operates non-scheduled services. Its main aircraft and maintenance base is Tampa International Airport.-History:...
charter flight from Germany to San Francisco in October 1977. When the plane stopped at the Bangor International Airport
Bangor International Airport
Bangor International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located west of the city of Bangor, in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It is owned and operated by the City of Bangor and was formerly a military installation known as Dow Air Force Base. The airport possesses a single...
to refuel and allow passengers to clear American customs before re-boarding, Kreuz mistakenly believed he had arrived in California, and took a taxi into the city. For four days, he vainly searched for the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
and other San Francisco landmarks. The only sight which resonated with his prior image of the California city were the two local Chinese restaurants. He concluded he was in a suburb of the metropolis, and only realized his mistake when a taxi driver somehow communicated to him, in response to his request to be taken to San Francisco, that it was a 3,000 mile journey. He ended up in a German-themed restaurant in nearby Old Town, Maine
Old Town, Maine
Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,840 at the 2010 census. The city's developed area is chiefly located on a relatively large island, though its boundaries extend beyond that...
, whose German-speaking owner, Gertrude Romine, was the first to hear his story and give him a complete picture of where he was. The Romines found him a hotel room in the nearby town of Milford while trying to figure out what to do. His story was picked up by the local press, and soon went national.
Bangor's response and local celebrity
The people of Bangor were so touched and amused to be mistaken for San Francisco that over the next 10 days Kreuz was transformed into a local celebrity. He was the guest of honor at an Octoberfest evening sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, was made an honorary member of the Penobscot Indian Tribe and Old Town Rotary Club, given the keys to the city, and flown to the state capital in AugustaAugusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
to meet the governor and secretary of state. Kreuz' 50th birthday was celebrated at a gala party located, at his own request, at a McDonald's restaurant. He was allowed to flip the hamburgers. A growing circle of local 'friends' organized sight-seeing trips for him around the region, accompanied everywhere by local press. Kreuz was by all reports impressed, grateful, and charming. He also received three marriage invitations, and a couple in the northern Maine town of St. Francis
St. Francis, Maine
St. Francis is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States on the Canadian border at the junction of the St. Francis River and the Saint John River. The population was 577 at the 2000 census...
gave him an acre of land.
Kreuz as bi-national news-maker and San Francisco celebrity
Kreuz' story was reported in TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine, by the Associated Press, and on NBC's Today Show, where host Tom Brokaw
Tom Brokaw
Thomas John "Tom" Brokaw is an American television journalist and author best known as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004. He is the author of The Greatest Generation and other books and the recipient of numerous awards and honors...
lauded the people of Bangor for being such good hosts. The magazines Stern
Stern (magazine)
Stern is a weekly news magazine published in Germany. It was founded in 1948 by Henri Nannen, and is currently published by Gruner + Jahr, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann. In the first quarter of 2006, its print run was 1.019 million copies and it reached 7.84 million readers according to...
and Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
told his story to the German public. The people of San Francisco were equally amused, and the San Francisco Examiner paid to fly Kreuz to their city, where he was given an even stronger dose of celebrity treatment. Mayor George Moscone
George Moscone
George Richard Moscone was an American attorney and Democratic politician. He was the 37th mayor of San Francisco, California, US from January 1976 until his assassination in November 1978. Moscone served in the California State Senate from 1967 until becoming Mayor. In the Senate, he served as...
gave him the key to the city, Krauz was feted in Chinatown, and received a standing ovation when he was invited to enter the ring at the Cow Palace
Cow Palace
Cow Palace is an indoor arena, in Daly City, California, situated on the city's border with neighboring San Francisco, notable as a sporting arena.-History:...
(where he was presented with a white cowboy hat, having received an Indian head-dress in Maine).
Kreuz luckily had a sense of humor. He told Moscone he drank 17 beers a day, and when he finally boarded a flight back to Germany, he posed with a huge sign (provided by World Airways) that said, in English and German "please let me off in Frankfurt"
Second trip to Bangor (1978): The price of celebrity
Kreuz returned to Bangor exactly a year later (October 1978) for a month-long visit, courtesy of the Equitable Life AssuranceAXA Equitable Life Insurance Company
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, formerly The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, also known as The Equitable, was founded by Henry Baldwin Hyde in 1859. In 1991, AXA, a French insurance company, acquired majority control of The Equitable...
company, to officiate at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new Bangor Mall. It was the first shopping mall he'd seen. The journey cemented (and capitalized upon) Kreuz' celebrity/newsmaker status, garnering nearly as much publicity for Kreuz (and the Mall) as the incident the previous year.
Kreuz' lingering celebrity cost him his job, however. The German brewery that employed him attempted to use his news-worthiness for its own purposes, but bristled when Kreuz asked for compensation beyond his laborer's salary. In an interview with the German press, he made the spontenous but naive admission that he drank a competitor's brand of beer. His month-long absence to promote an American shopping mall (and during the Ockoberfest season) was likely the final straw, as he was fired from his job of 9 1/2 years when he returned the following month.
Third trip to Bangor (1979): The limits of celebrity
Kreuz returned to Bangor a third and final time in early 1979, now at his own expense and accompanied by little fanfare. Hoping to trade on his celebrity to find a job and emigrate, he was disappointed when his only forthcoming offer was a low-paying janitorial position at the Bangor Mall. Before flying back to Germany and an uncertain future, he gave an exit interview to the Bangor Daily News in which he said he was not bitter and 'grateful' for the one job offer and the kindness of strangers, but that this third trip to Bangor had been a mistake. He never returned to the U.S. but faithfully paid the yearly tax on his small plot of land in northern Maine.Kreuz as travel folklore
Kreuz may have disappeared physically into the maw of time, but his story continued to be told and re-told into the 21st century as not only Maine folklore, but the folklore of modern air travel. The Kreuz story has been related in Bill Harris' Landscapes of America, vol.2 (1987) and An American Moment (1990), and it helped Gail Fine illustrate a problem in philosophy in her 1999 Oxford U. Press book Plato Two: Ethics, Politics, Religion, and the Soul. Barbara Wilson and Barbara Sjoholm made it the basis for a short story in their 1988 collection Miss Venezuela.The Washington Post revived the Kreuz incident when Yusuf Islam (the former Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
) was diverted to Bangor in the paranoid aftermath of 9-11, and Kreuz' story was published in Frommer's
Frommer's
Frommer's is a travel guidebook series and one of the bestselling travel guides in America. The series began in 1957 with the publication of Arthur Frommer's book, Europe on $5 a Day. Frommer's has expanded to include over 350 guidebooks across 14 series, as well as other media including the award...
Maine Coast Guide as late as 2009. Former NY Times reporter Blake Fleetwood recalled the Kreuz incident in a Huffington Post essay of 2007, in which he revealed that mistakes like Kreuz' were more common than most realize.
Kreuz is the subject of a ballad recorded by Maine folksinger Wendell Austin